Bullying is one of the worst things a child can experience. The name calling and ganging up is difficult for most to endure, but what happens when the teens take things too far? Maybe it’s down to status or peer pressure but then again are some people just born evil? Our Newcastle polygraph examiner looks at the scale of child bullying in England and Wales and discovers some disturbing statistics.

The most recent Youth Justice Board Report for the year 2017/2018 shows that of the 33,400 convicted children and young adults, 40.9% reoffended within 12 months of their sentence. Between them these reoffending children committed 53,600 offences. Click on the link provided to read the full damning report. The statistic for adults is also worrying.

Lie detector tests used for monitoring offenders

Currently sexual predators are monitored by lie detector tests as a condition of their parole, as are domestic abusers. It’s clear this should be extended to all forms of abuse.

Children who kill or abuse don’t get life sentences and most are released early enough to rebuild their lives. Is anything done to monitor their behaviour moving forward, apart from an appointment with a parole officer? How can we really tell if they’ve been rehabilitated?

If lie detector tests were introduced prior to these children leaving young offenders or even at their parole officer’s appointments this would help the offending percentage drop dramatically.

A recent story in the news shocked the public with the brutality shown to a 15-year-old boy, just for spilling a drink. These are the types of young adults that should be monitored after release. The following case is disturbing to say the very least but it does add weight to the argument that polygraph tests should be introduced to monitor young offenders.

Brutally tortured

A 15-year-old schoolboy from Birmingham was brutally attacked by three teenagers after spilling a drink. This assault continued for 6 hours during which a trio held him captive and tortured him. Cigarettes were put out on the frightened child’s face and he was also slashed with a knife. Twins, Lucy and Christopher Pyatt-Pierce age 18, and Kyle Ashton, age 19 carried out the frenzied attack at Ashton’s flat in New Moseley Road, Highgate, Birmingham after the youngster had accidentally spilled a drink on the floor. Ashton was so furious that he ordered the 15-year-old to lick the drink off the floor. When he refused Ashton poured a hot pot noodle over his head. The traumatised youngster was also beaten with a curtain pole during a sustained and horrendous assault in the early hours of September 29th, 2018.

Sustained attack

The Crown Court in Birmingham was advised the onslaught escalated as Ashton chose to ignore the pleas from his victim for the violence to stop. Christopher Pyatt-Pierce joined in at this point, punching the victim several times while his sister Lucy Pyatt-Pierce goaded the boys on and filmed the horror on her mobile phone. The victim was then told to remove his clothes and at 5am was found roaming the streets wearing nothing but a T-Shirt. The 15-year-old was so traumatised he didn’t tell officers of the events of the evening but said strangers had robbed him, worrying there would be further repercussions. He was later able to confirm what had happened to him and point out the address to officers. This prompted the three teens to be arrested for false imprisonment and wounding.

Horrific Injuries

The victim was seriously injured experiencing cuts and a severely broken nose. The court found the trio guilty, sentencing Ashton to 8 years imprisonment for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and false imprisonment. Lucy Pyatt-Pierce got 4 years for the same charges. Christopher Pyatt-Pierce was given a lesser charge 2-year sentence for wounding plus false imprisonment.

Sarah Proctor a detective constable of West Midlands Police said after the case: “This was a brutal, degrading attack on a 15-year-old boy that was sparked by something as innocuous as spilling a drink on the floor. All the windows and doors were locked in the house; he had no way to escape and none of the three intervened at any stage to say ‘enough is enough’. What followed was a prolonged and terrifying ordeal for this young man in which he feared for his own life. I wish the victim well in his continued recovery from this episode which understandably has had a significant psychological impact”

Is good behaviour a reason to release early?

It’s unclear why this brutal crime took place and although the sentencing seems fair for the abhorrent way the victim was treated, the trio will still be young when they are released. There was no reason for this vicious and unprovoked attack and these people will need close monitoring on their release. Lie detector tests administered prior to their release would ensure the safety of any other people they come into contact with. The test results would also ensure they are set free when they should be, and not released early just for good behaviour. People who can treat another, much younger person in such a disgusting manner may see prison as something to brag about, not for the rehabilitation it’s designed to achieve.

Newcastle Polygraph Examiner invitation

Our Newcastle polygraph examiner invites anyone who is involved with Youth Offenders including the Police, Probation service and Youth Justice Board to contact us. Our polygraph services are available nationwide to assist in reducing the quite horrific statistics outlined in the Youth Justice Board Report.